Arcadia's Calling
by Bacon Flavored Revenge
Summary: After nearly a year of being in coma, Nihlus awakes in the hospital and finds that things changed after Eden Prime. The Council refuses to see him, things are hunting him day and night, and a woman known as Sila is the only one willing to help. AU
1. Prologue

**Prologue;**

* * *

**Four years prior to the events on Eden Prime;**

"Do you honestly believe that somebody in this wretched galaxy is looking out for us?" A turian with silver skin questioned the other turian with green eyes at his side. The other looked into his glass filled with blue liquid and pondered his partners inquiry. There were many times where he stopped and asked himself this very question only to find himself empty handed and answerless. Of course it had been of no surprise that this time, like all those other times, he was short-handed of an answer.

"I'm not saying that there is, Saren," he began as he swiveled the bright blue liquid around "I just can't help but to wonder if something out there is watching over us."

The one named Saren gave a low chuckle as he shook his head. "What? Are you telling me that you're embracing _human_ religion now? Are you telling me that you believe in their pathetic God?"

The turian with green eyes looked away from his drink in order to give his partner a questionable glance. They met eyes and for a long moment he wondered what to say to that. Saren's hatred for humanity ran long and deep, something he wasn't surprised at considering most turians resented humanity and the war they caused, but at times he would drag his animosity on for too long. Yes, he too hated humanity for certain things but he hadn't hated them all. Every creature had it's flaws so what right did he have in order to believe that humans were the biggest blight on the galaxy?

"All I'm saying is that it's not just by pure luck that we have survived all those missions that the Council puts us on. Perhaps something is watching out for us." He replied as he looked away to take another drink from his glass.

"You were always an optimist, Nihlus," Saren stated as he then stood up "One day those hopeful observations will get you killed."

The turian still sitting at the bar's counter heeded his partners words and silently he turned to watch as the silver turian walked out of the bar. Beside the door stood a woman who silently watched him, her gray eyes interlocked with his green ones, and for a moment he questioned if this human woman was staring at him. Though as quickly as he saw her she disappeared among the lively crowd of the bar leaving him to question on further. Of course he then forgot about it and went back to finishing his drink.

**A year and a half prior to the events on Eden Prime;**

Nihlus could feel the shot enter his leg and the force of it throwing him backwards against the wall. The metallic blue blood seeped from the fresh wound and not a second later the pain caught up with him. As a soldier he was trained to ignore pain and as a spectre he was trained to keep going. Grunting slightly, he pushed himself off the ground and forced himself to go on. The sound of the gun fire drowned out all of his thoughts and fueled his body to keep going. The mission was priority and death would come later.

As he ran for cover while shooting at the mercs, he tried to find his target's whereabouts. Among the chaos a human female was being heavily guarded and he figured she wouldn't be hard to find considering those who watched her closely would be easy to spot. As his green avian eyes scanned the surrounding area he noticed two men in heavy armor standing next to a large counter. He figured that was where she was due to the fact they weren't moving. As he took in a deep breath to prepare himself, he checked his gun to make sure it was ready for firing and the moment he deemed it fit he ran forward.

Things began to blur into one as he ran for the two men. They hadn't expected him and the moment they noticed the turian running for them it was too late. Nihlus knocked them back, shot them both in the head until their brains were just bloody paste and made sure that no others were to find him. Just as things blurred together they suddenly came to a grinding halt upon the realization that the female was watching him from her hiding spot. Her gray eyes were painted with fear just as her cheeks were stained with tears. Nihlus then bent down to her level in hopes of calming her nerves.

His green eyes scanned her body to make sure she wasn't injured or carrying any sort of explosive that the mercs could have forced her to hold. He had heard stories that a few spectres had gone that way and he was damn sure that he wouldn't let that happen to him. It was an unworthy death that he was sure that he would never suffer.

Once she was checked over Nihlus told her to be ready and though she was scared she nodded at him signifying that she understood. Like he had before he took in a few more breaths and made sure his gun was ready so they could make a run for the shuttle. Without any more delays, he stood up and pulled the woman to her feet as well, and ran for it.

Just as they managed to waver past every bullet that was shot in their direction they managed to make it half way to the pick-up zone. Just as it came into sight the woman tripped and fell onto her stomach. Nihlus stopped in order to tell her to get up but upon looking at her he noticed that she hadn't tripped at all but fell due to a bullet wound at her side. The deep red bloomed like a flower of death and before he could see the white of her clothes stain further he bent down and picked her up. Though she bled like a waterfall, she only watched him with her gray eyes as he ran for the safety of the shuttle.

As the doors of the shuttle closed shut the turian gently set the woman down on the floor of the shuttle. He too sat down and the moment he regained his thoughts the pain in his leg came rushing back. The floor had been stained red and blue as they both bled a dangerous amount but the red proved to be the dominant color as she began to lose her life.

"Are you alright?" a weak voice questioned which brought the turian from his thoughts.

"I would be more worried about yourself. Your wound is far worse." Nihlus replied as he shifted to her in order to apply some medi-gel to her side. The woman pushed his arm away though which caused him to be slightly puzzled. His green eyes met her gray ones as she spoke.

"If my time has come, then so be it. If my Maker wishes me at his side then I will obey."

The sudden curl of her lips caused him to become even more puzzled but he only obeyed her wishes. Though as he watched her, only one thing came to mind. It wasn't the Council's unhappy comments about another mission failed but a cruel and familiar voice hung loosely in his mind.

_"Just another parasite dead."_

And with the harsh words came the unpleasant image of a silver turian with icy blue eyes.

**Eden Prime 2183;**

It had been hard to believe that the Geth were the reason that Eden Prime and his current mission became endangered. Thoughts of both the mission's state and the Council's reaction to it caused Nihlus to strive for a better outcome than his latest missions. Of course he would get them done but knowing he could've done better made everything feel worthless. Things were changing and they were changing at a slow, agonizing pace. He used to be able to count on himself to see things through but that had changed two years ago. Even now after so long things were still going downhill and he saw no possible way to change it other than to get this mission done without any trouble. Of course that was now up in the air considering every thing's current state.

As he walked up the ramp the turian's green eyes fell upon a figure who stood with his head directed up to the sky. The familiar silver skin caused him to lower his gun and upon the sudden realization he spoke to the person.

"Saren?"

The other turian turned at the sound of his name and almost instantly the green and blue eyes interlocked with one another.

"Nihlus."

"This isn't your mission Saren, what are you doing here?" Nihlus questioned as the other turian walked towards him.

"The Council thought you could use some help on this one." Saren replied as he walked behind him. Nihlus looked towards the sky and watched the dark smoke become lost among the dark sky and large ship.

"I wasn't expecting to find the Geth here," he commented, earning little ease from expressing his thoughts "The situation's bad."

Though as he averted his eyes down towards the ground Saren's next comment provided a little comfort.

"Don't worry, I have it under control."

The gunshot to the head, however, blasted away what little ease he could scrounge up.


	2. I

The darkness was cold, unkind and most of all it smelled of rust. With the darkness the smell floated around him, being everywhere and lingering amongst the shadows caused him to seek a safe haven among it all. His heart pounded against his chest like a drum as he ran but as he delved deeper into the shadows nothing happened. It was just the inevitable darkness seeking to control him.

Suddenly the smell changed. No longer did it smell of rust but instead it smelled of something sweet. No longer did he feel the urge to run but instead he stopped to listen the the shadows. A faint buzzing sounded somewhere off in the distance and as the sweet smell engulfed him the noise became louder. It was hard to describe but suddenly he became very tired. Perhaps the running was finally catching up to him? Considering everything was happening so fast he wasn't sure what to do about it. The only thing he felt the need to do was sleep and evidently he succumbed to that desire.

_"Nihlus, wake up."_

Green eyes shot open only to close tightly after finding out how bright a white room had been. The monitor at his side beeped loudly and uncontrollably which was loud enough for the nurse to hear. An asari shaded deep purple with white markings came rushing in as the weak, frantic turian struggled to get out of the bed. The way he flailed about with the nurse trying to calm him was almost comical; it was almost like a fisherman trying to put a fish back into the water.

"Doctor! Doctor Korben, the patient is awake!" The asari yelled at the top of her lungs as she tried to restrain the turian. A human male dressed in white with pulled back graying hair walked in and almost instantly he went to the turian's side. The doctor's dark eyes bore into his and calmly he said to the turian.

"Nihlus Kryik, you have been in a coma for ten months. Do you understand? You arrived at Vermilion Hospital on the Citadel after you were shot on Eden Prime."

Surprisingly the doctor's calm nature put Nihlus at ease. The heart monitor slowed to a normal pace just as the nurse's grip began to become loose. It all slowly came back, the images of Saren at Eden Prime when he shouldn't have been. He understood that something was wrong but friendship made him blind to that simple truth. It was now evident that he regretted letting his guard down.

"Am I free to leave?" Nihlus questioned afterward. The nurse threw the doctor a concerned look and almost instantly they made eye contact. For a few brief seconds the pair searched one another for answers and eventually one broke eye contact and replied to Nihlus.

"After a few tests. You've been asleep for nearly a year after taking a bullet to the head so we need to make sure everything is normal." The doctor said as he looked at him and then to the nurse. The turian then inwardly sighed; he could already tell that this day was going to be trying.

* * *

Many long and trying hours later, Nihlus found himself able to leave. Somebody donated him some simple clothes; a shirt of gray and red with the sleeves cut off and black pants. He didn't particularly like it, in fact he down right hated it, but figured that it would have to do until he was capable of finding some armor. After the turian had gotten dressed he wandered out of the hospital room. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he was going to taste freedom. It was time to see the Council, something highly overdue, and in the back of his mind he wondered if he still withheld spectre status. He was in a come, not dead, so surely he still did?

Nevertheless the turian male found himself submerged in a very large group. There were so many people that it had been absolute chaos. Bodies passed one another by as they made their way to their designated rooms and ominously he tried to dodge them without bumping into anybody but ultimately that proved trying. All he wanted to do was leave the damn hospital and obviously that was going to be difficult.

Then a smell came to him; sweet, like a flower. Vaguely he remembered a human female describing it to him once; it was called a lily and it was a soft white. It was a very delicate flower that signified purity. At the time it had been the most useless, pointless information ever but now knowing he could identify it meant something. The smell, on the other hand, had become so strong that he needed to stop in order to catch his breath. For such a sweet and innocent flower it sure could create a stink.

Between the bodies and the smell, the turian male began to lose his patience. Where did all the people come from? Surely there were enough rooms to keep everybody in, right? As his patience continued to wane thin like over-spread butter on a piece of bread, Nihlus stopped once more to regain not only his breath but cool. As his eyes bored into the crowd he had noticed a woman in a black dress stand absent minded in the middle of the crowd. The turian couldn't help but to look at her and wonder what she was doing.

"Perhaps she doesn't approve of the smell either." he muttered to himself as he continued to watch her. The young woman had long ebony curls with her bangs pinned to the side. Her cheeks were slightly freckled while her ruby lips were in a firm line. The dress she wore, however, did not suit her age. This young woman seemed to be in her early twenties while the dress was fit for an asari matron. Not that it wasn't impressing on her it just wasn't in her age range.

The turian then noticed that her eyes were staring into his. Her eyes were a light almost clear shade of gray that seemed to hold some sort of knowledge that he did not. Then, just like that, she turned and disappeared into the crowd leaving him with questions that weren't going to be answered. At that point he decided to keep going considering the whole time he stood there people continuously bumped into him.  
It was working wonders on his ability to keep cool.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he made it into the patient lounge. The amount of people in this room compared to the last was a significant difference and he felt even more relieved when the door leading to the outside world had been in view. Then another feeling swept over his body; an almost dark and choked out feeling. Anxiety wasn't really the word to use, more or less panicky was. Nihlus looked at the door and almost instantly he picked up speed.

"Mr. Kryik, sir?" A soft voice from behind questioned him.

"Yes?" He replied as he stopped to turn around. His heart quickened as his eyes landed upon the asari nurse with bright blue eyes.

"About a month ago a woman had visited you while you were still asleep. She asked me to tell you that when you awoke she would like to meet you at a club called Hazeharia." The nurse then stated. After giving him a soft smile she turned away to tend another patient. Now feeling slightly relieved and less panicked, the turian turned around to commence his escape for freedom. Perhaps he would visit there later but at this point he needed to see the Council.

* * *

At times, he didn't realize that wanting to see the Council could be so trying. Apparently the Council also decided that a change would be good. There was nothing like a giant wall of black separating you from the rest of the people that screamed "stylish"... Or at least that's what the new receptionist said.

"I'm sorry sir, the Council isn't seeing anybody right at this moment." The human female with blue eyes stated as she fiddled with a data pad.

"You don't understand how urgent this is. I'm a spectre and I have just recently awoken from coma. I'm certain they will want to see me." Nihlus responded, trying to sway the woman's mind.

"Spectre or not, they are not seeing anybody." She answered in a firm tone. Sighing angrily, the turian realized that he wasn't getting anywhere like this and decided to approach her differently.

"Perhaps leaving a message for them will be simpler considering the circumstances," he muttered as he caught her eye "Can you please tell them that Spectre Nihlus Kryik is ready for an assignment whenever they deem fit."

"I'll tell them," the female responded with a smile "When I'm done eating their souls."

Nihlus then became confused and only stared at her with his green eyes. Did she just say what he thought he heard?

"Did you just say that you're going to eat their souls?" He questioned in an unsure voice.

"What's wrong with you?" The woman then responded with a horrified look upon her face "I said I will let them know when I take in these data pads."

"Forgive me, things have been a little trying since I've woken up. Excuse me."

Awkwardly leaving that place behind, the turian quickly made his way out of that place. Nihlus then decided that he needed a drink and perhaps it would be best to simply rest until the Council summoned him. Coincidentally the Hazeharia was just around the corner. Perhaps paying a visit to this woman was his next best choice?


End file.
